British terms
British terms used in the Harry Potter series are generally specific to British culture and may seem foreign to readers from other countries. At times, terms may even have been changed in certain translations to more culture-appropriate terms. List of British terms *'Banger' - A sausage, as in "bangers and mash". It is also slang for an old motorcar in a state of disrepair (US: beater). *'Barking' - Shortened form of "barking mad" or "barking crazy". Used for emphasis. *'Biscuit' - US: cookie. *'Blimey' - A word used to show surprise, the British equivalent of "Oh, man" or "Wow". *'Bloke' - A man. *'Bloody' - A swear word used to give emphasis, as in "bloody hell". Also, bloomin' or blooming. *'Bogey' - Booger. A British slang word for "snot". *'Chips' - Long cuts of deep fried potato, usually thick cut resembling American steak fries. (org. UK phrase - fish and chips). *'Corking' - Something at its best, usually said without pronunciation of the ending. *'Dodgy' - Something that cannot be trusted. *'Dummy' - Either a mannequin or a pacifier. *'Git' - Mildly derogatory, meaning a foolish or contemptible person. *'Have done' - A shortened version of "have done it," as in, "he couldn't have done it." *'Having kittens' - Stressing out. Specifically, Molly Weasley was "having kittens" over her family's welfare. *'Holiday' - Any vacation or time off the usual work schedule. In the U.S., this term is only used for specific calendar days, such as Thanksgiving. Otherwise, "vacation" is used. *'Jam ' - US: Jelly *'Jelly' - a dessert made with sweetened gelatin, US: Jello *'Jumper' - A warm shirt, sometimes knitted. Specifically, Molly Weasley knits jumpers for her family every Christmas. This was changed to "sweater" in the U.S. version, due to cultural differences (in the US, a jumper is a dress). *'Knickerbockers' - Short pants. *'Knickers' - Underwear, usually a female's. *'Loo' - Toilet. *'Nosh' - Food; grub. In the U.S., this term means a snack rather than a full meal. *'Pants' - Underwear, underpants, briefs. "Pants" as known in the U.S. would be referred to as "trousers". *'Prang' - To wreck an automobile. Synonymous with "total" in the U.S. *'Prat' - Literally, backside. Specifically, Fred and George Weasley maintain only prats become prefects. *'Rubbish' - Nonsense, craziness. Also the word used to address disposed items, known in the U.S. as trash or junk. *'Sack' - Firing someone. "Being sacked" would refer to losing one's job. *'Snog' - To kiss, to make out. *'Take the mickey out' - To make fun of someone. *'Tea' - Aside from the drink, it's an afternoon snack time. *'Term' - A division of an academic school year. Synonymous with semesters in the United States. *'Torch' - A flashlight *'Trainers' - Running shoes. In the U.S., "sneakers". *'Underground' - Below ground train system. In the U.S., "subway". *'Whinging' - Persistent complaining; can also be spelled "whining". *'Wotcher' - A greeting developed from the phrase "What are you/ya?" e.g "Wotcher doing?" External links *British slang at Wikipedia *List of words having different meanings in American and British English Category:English